Day +28

WBC- 2.4
Hgl- 11.3
Hct- 33.8
Plt- 64
ANC- 1.1

Today was clinic day. We were also in clinic last week on Wednesday, two days after Claire was discharged from the hospital. The oncology clinic and the bone marrow clinic share the same space and the same nurses, but they are very different experiences. We aren't getting chemo. We could get blood products, but so far Claire hasn't needed them. So our appointments have been done in under three hours, which is pretty short for us. We go in, get vitals, draw labs, wait for lab results, then the bone marrow team comes in and does an exam. Today we talked about diarrhea and bumps on Claire's skin. She's not feeling great, but there is nothing really to indicate why. (Other than the fact that she is being rebuilt on a cellular level from the inside. No big.) She could be having more withdrawals, since we just went pretty low on her narcotic pain meds. The doctors also look for signs of graft vs. host, and again emphasized that if there is ever a question they want to know right away. If she ever has a fever of 100.4 it is an automatic admission to the hospital for a few days. We don't even go through the ER, they just admit us. As they said during our last clinic visit, it is an up and down battle, but the up slowly goes higher than the down. Today I talked to Dr. B about how I need to view Claire's ANC numbers differently. When she was doing chemotherapy, an ANC of 1.1 (1100) would have been great. But even though the number looks good now, her immune system is still incredibly fragile. During chemo she still had stem cells that could work and help everything recover. We have wiped out her stem cells and replaced them. Dr. B said that before we were laying sod in the hopes that it would take, but now we have decided to start from scratch and reseed the whole lawn.

Christmas was amazing. We didn't go anywhere or do anything, but we were together. And even our oldest son and his wife and our grandson (the cutest baby in the world) could Skype into our traditional celebrations. We felt so very, very blessed to just be under the same roof. And Claire was determined to make things as normal as possible, from getting up before the sun to eating what she could. The spirit of love was very strong in our home. And that's what it's all about, isn't it?

                        Enjoying a fun package from a friend.

              One of my favorite sights on Christmas. These two still like to be in the same bed.

                     Wiped out after too much holiday fun.

             These dear friends gave us a private concert on Christmas morning.

             The only perk at the hospital...we get the very closest parking spots.

              Getting weighed and measured, and, unlike the rest of us, hoping that the numbers go up.

                                          Vitals, vitals, and more vitals.

                         Not feeling great and keeping a bucket close by.

            And just because, the spectacular view from our driveway. Merry Christmas.